Arthēa CEO Tarun Malkani on PDC’s Next Chapter

In late August, PDC Brands announced its new name: Arthēa—a move that CEO Tarun Malkani asserts represents the shift in the company’s plans to become a leader in the growing wellness category.

Arthēa’s brands include fragrance products by Body Fantasies (core to its beginning as Parfum de Coeur), well-known Epsom salt brand Dr Teal’s and Cantu, a line of body and hair care. This year, Arthēa unveiled Sunryz, a brand developed specifically for Gen Alpha.

Malkani joined Arthēa (then operating as PDC) in 2024 from Nestlé, where he served as president and CEO of Gerber Products. He has also held roles at Pfizer, J&J and Bausch & Lomb.

Happi caught up with Malkani to discuss the company’s new corporate identity and what’s ahead as it looks to grow its presence across personal care.

Happi: How long was this change in the works internally before the announcement was made?

Tarun Malkani: We began seriously considering an identity change about a year ago, but the transformation journey has been underway for more than two years. We have a long and successful history, and we’re proud of the foundation we built as Parfums de Coeur, but as the business evolved, it became clear that our identity needed to evolve with it.

Fragrance remains an important part of who we are, but we looked at where the company could go next and how we could sharpen our focus around making wellness and personal care for more people. We’re focused on making wellness and personal care more accessible, and bringing together consumer insight, innovation and technology to meet people’s needs in new ways. So, while the announcement may have felt new, the thinking and the work behind it have been underway for quite some time.

Happi: During that process, what was revealed about the existing structure that showed value and strength for moving forward? Conversely, what was revealed about what needed to change to propel the company to make individual brands leaders in their categories?

TM: We started with a really strong foundation, with most of our brands being #1 in their respective categories. The revelation was that having great products isn’t enough for where we want to go – we need to build superlative brands that also have the potential to lead their categories and define what comes next; and that’s the journey we’re on. We’re expanding our portfolio at the intersection of wellness, beauty and self-care, creating a wider range of solutions that meet broader consumer needs. And as we do that, we’re continuing to invest in the brands we already have, supercharging them with the focus, innovation and investment they need to continue leading in their respective categories.

At the same time, we want to stay true to what connects the portfolio: our belief that wellness should feel approachable, not exclusive or complicated. Consumer expectations are elevating and the competitive landscape is changing. We’re coupling that consumer insight with the scale and expertise of our US retail partners, by expanding our partnerships and working more closely with retailers to bring the right products to consumers in the right places. With the development of new brands like Sunryz, launched as a Walmart exclusive, we have been able to build on our existing formula for success and create momentum for what’s to come. Ultimately, our philosophy is grounded in the belief that growth comes from understanding what people need and then delivering products that genuinely improve their everyday routines.

HAPPI: Let’s discuss innovation. Does this change have any impact on R&D and or product development? How so?

TM: Product innovation remains at the heart of where we’re headed and will always be a key component. One of the clearest signs of the transformation we’ve undergone over the past two years is the level of innovation we’re now able to bring to market. We’re launching roughly 80–100 new SKUs a year across our portfolio, which is a new height for the organization and a reflection of the capabilities, focus and investment we’ve put behind our brands. Arthēa is about how we are bringing our expertise and these new capabilities together to create what’s next. 

Our proprietary AI stack can help us identify opportunities and move faster, and for every technology-enabled solution, we’re pairing it with the expertise, creativity and consumer understanding of our teams and partners. We’re building an ethos around IQ, EQ and AIQ—human intelligence and expertise, emotional acumen and genuine care, and embracing the technologies that will help deliver for our customers quicker and better.

Over the past two years, we’ve meaningfully advanced almost every brand in our portfolio. In 2026, for example, we expanded Dr. Teal’s in response to growing consumer interest in magnesium-based wellness, building on science-backed formulas to deliver real wellness solutions. We expanded Cantu through new product collections, Ultra Moisture and Weightless, combining advanced science with key ingredients to address a broader range of textured hair needs, and launched Sunryz, a Gen Alpha-targeted body care brand, with all products dermatologist-tested and made with at least 90% naturally derived ingredients.

Those are just a few examples of innovation today, but I’m even more excited about how we’ll innovate going forward. Through the rest of 2026 and into 2027, we’ll be putting more emphasis on partnerships, co-creation and using proprietary AI responsibly, to help us identify opportunities faster and bring better ideas to consumers.

HAPPI: Can you share 2025’s financial results?

TM: In 2025, Arthēa generated $1 billion in annual retail sales, and continues to see solid mid-single-digit growth. What’s especially encouraging is that growth is being driven by real volume—more consumers buying more of our products, reflecting our commitment to deliver compelling products at an accessible price point. That tells us the growth is durable and rooted in genuine consumer demand.

HAPPI: What does this change mean, if anything, for your partners—the ingredients suppliers and contract manufacturers—or those that might want to become part of your pathway forward?

TM: We’re fortunate to have strong, established relationships with our current partners, and this change only accelerates what we can build together. Within Arthēa, there’s been overwhelming excitement to have more tools at our disposal and embrace the growing AI solutions that enable us to deliver wellness faster and better to consumers.

At our core, we’ve always been a collaborative organization. However, this shift is driven by an increased emphasis on co-creation—pulling together the best ideas, capabilities and people to move faster and bring great products to market. Looking forward, we’re excited to bring on new partners who share that same ambition in pushing innovation to deliver even better products to more people.